so we remain the same
by Jessica Doom
Summary: Albus and his husband don't celebrate Valentine's Day. It's just...any other day. And any other day is actually the best kind of day for the couple. Any other day means normality. And normality... It's everything.


**A/N: To any of my faithful followers, _this_ is why I haven't been posting for the last...however long it has been. I've been working on this Valentine's Day ficlet one-shot that I'm rather proud of. So here it is! Later than Valentine's Day... but still pretty great, in my opinion. Hope you enjoy it :D And pleasepleaseplease REVIEW!**

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"You want eggs this morning, Antares?"

"Yes, please, Dad." The small girl smiled sleepily, rubbing at her eyes as she climbed up into a barstool at the counter. She was beautiful – toe-headed with the most brilliant of green eyes. "And toast?"

Albus Severus smiled at his daughter, just watching her for a moment. Taking it in. It was a morning like all others. Normal. It felt bloody perfect even in its lackluster state. He leaned across the counter on his elbows, whispering conspiratorially with a gleam in his almost-matching green eyes, "With peanut butter and honey?"

Antares giggled softly, giving an eager nod and cuddling the stuffed black cat in her arms. "Please?" she whispered back, the absolute picture of innocence.

"I think I can handle that." Albus closed the gap between them and gave his daughter a chaste kiss on the forehead. He then turned around and pulled a pan out of a cupboard along with eggs and bread from the fridge and honey and peanut butter from another cupboard. This was a morning routine that he knew like the back of his hand. For the last couple years of the five-year-old girl's life, they had been doing the same thing.

Wake up, send his husband off to work with a kiss, rest for a short time and take whatever potions were left for him that day, wait until Antares snuck in next to him in bed, talk about their dreams, go downstairs to make breakfast, and then continued on with the rest of whatever they had planned for the day.

"What are we doing today, Dad?"

"Well, Anta…." Albus cracked three eggs into the pan before turning to face the girl. "We have lunch plans with Uncle Hugo and Jeanie. Other than that, we can do anything you want to. The day is free." He sent her an eyebrow raise in question and turned back towards the stove.

Antares sighed deeply, an almost woeful noise that Albus wasn't expecting. He startled, turning back towards the small child. She was staring down at her toy, fiddling with the ears absently. Looking…adorably sad. A child that beautiful should never look so let down.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked carefully, knowing not to look at her while talking or she would shut down. She was a fragile, shy, little thing.

For a long moment, Antares didn't say a word. The food was nearly down cooking before she'd even begun to open her mouth. But her father was patient. His daughter was quite like he had been at that age. He knew how to handle it.

"I broke Jeanie's dolly…."

Sighing softly in relief, Albus turned toward his daughter with their plates of food. She still wouldn't look at him. A small pain rang through his heart that halted his steps for just a moment. But he brushed it off as easily as he could and walked over to her. He set the smaller plate – pink and enchanted with a harmless sparkle charm – in front of Antares and settled the other with more food in front of the seat he took beside her. "Which dolly did you break, sweety?" he asked calmly, like it was just a part of the routine. He didn't want to make a big deal out of this. Whatever it was, they could handle it. They could always work through things together and they could be okay. It was why they worked as well together as the small family they were.

"I…." The small child bit her lip, swinging her legs back and forth under the countertop to reflect her nerves. Clearly this was something that had been eating her up. And was always so good at keeping things like this bottled up until she broke. She was definitely her father's child. "I broke…the vampire one. She…she let me borrow it. And I broke her head off." She was sniffling now, alerting Albus to the fact that there was now tears. This was when he needed to break through and actually react.

Pushing both of their breakfasts away for the moment, Al leaned in and wrapped his arms securely around the girl. She sank into him like they were one person. Like their emotions were one entity that they could heal together. He ran his fingers through her hair, pushing it out of her tear-stained face. Massaging her scalp in an attempt to calm the gentle sobs wracking her tiny body. "Which one, Anta? The pink one?"

Antares bobbed her head in answer. Her fingers were clinging desperately to Albus' shirt and she was on the brink of hyperventilating. "Y-yes…. I don't wanna see her. Sh-she'll be mad at me! I don't want her to be mad at me!"

Very gently, Albus lifted the little girl's chin so they could look into one another's similar eyes. Hers were filled with tears, but he had nothing but kind emotions for her in return. The look was sweet and reassuring – exactly the way a father should look when he's trying to calm his child. "Well, sweetheart…you know what's good about this?" She shook her head, causing him to smile brightly and finger her almost color-less curls. "We can go buy a new one at the store. I'm sure I've still seen that one. That doesn't sound as scary, does it?"

Albus was fairly certain that neither his cousin nor his seven-year-old daughter would mind that Antares had accidentally broken the doll. They were a calm and cool family and rarely let such things affect them. This solution, instead, was for the sake of his own child. He knew she felt bad. He knew that if they didn't do something to rectify her actions, she would be eaten up about it for quite some time. And he was fairly certain that this was a good answer to that problem.

"But…but she'll know I broke it, still!" Antares cried out, guilt fairly plain in her defeated features. "She'll still be mad at me, Dad…."

"No she won't," Al reassured, setting the small child back into her own seat. "Jeanie will have a new doll to play with. I think she will be happy. Okay?" Slowly, she nodded, but didn't look up from her nervously clasped hands. "Good. Now face forward and eat your breakfast. We can go shopping when we're finished." When she didn't make a move to sit up and pull her plate close, the man sighed gently and ran his fingers soothingly through her hair again. "And we can buy you one, too. Everyone will be happy. I promise."

They ate the rest of their meal in silence – well, Albus did. Antares still wouldn't touch her food after her confession. There was no doubt enough remorse in her stomach to fill her up completely. But Al knew that once she saw just how find her cousin was with the new toy, she could lighten up. By lunch she would be starving.

After Albus gave up trying to gently prod his daughter into eating, the two of them dressed for the day. Antares put on a sweet and slightly sparkly black dress that was specially made for her. All of her clothing came specially made. Her father didn't dress any less spectacularly than she did. His trousers were perfectly tailored and the grey button down fit him like a glove. They were a well-taken-care-of pair and they looked flawless.

A quick stop to the store later brought them to stand outside of the brownstone apartment complex. Every time he came here, Albus had to physically stop and look up at the building. He had to sit there and make sure he was humbling himself. It was more than a few steps below the beautiful house in the country they occupied. His cousin had no lavish backyard and had to be content with a room-less flat to share between himself and his daughter. They slept in the same bed. They shared a bathroom. And there was not a single room allotted for the girl's playtime. Her toys and books and things were everywhere. It was messy and imperfect.

Nine years ago, just after graduation, the wizard would have been happy to have a place like this to share with his then-boyfriend. But now….

The two traipsed through the apartment building and up one flight of stairs to reach their designation. Their noses wrinkled at each stray smell or bedraggled stranger. Both of them knocked eagerly, sharing a smile between them at their in-sync thoughts.

"Merlin, why are you always _early_?" A man – honestly barely more than a boy in looks and innocent – had opened the door for them. He was wearing a teasing, easy grin, but it was plain to see that he was slightly flustered. His rusty-red curls looked as if they'd had a hand run through them several times in the last few minutes. His cheeks were slightly flushed and a slight sheen of sweat was on his brow.

Albus smiled gently and entered with extreme grace, looked incredibly out of place under the fluorescent lights and surrounded by such drab decorations and furniture. "We just like to be punctual. Is that such a bad thing?"

"It is when you're an hour early!" Hugo Weasley sighed, giving his cousin a cross look that didn't meet his ocean blue eyes. "And when my daughter is being TOO STUBBORN TO GET OUT OF BED!" He ended up shouting the last part, looking pointedly up the stairs behind him at the exposed 'bedroom' area. A quiet, resigned groan echoed back and he rolled his eyes as if this had proved his point. "She has decided that she won't get out of bed until I agree to take her shopping for a bra. A _bra_, Albus."

Chuckling soft, Al walked towards the foot of the stairs. It only took him five steps to reach from the door and Antares followed eagerly behind, clutching a shopping bag. "Jeanie, sweetheart…why do you think you need a bra?" he asked in his sickly sweetest voice.

The girl upstairs gave a rather dramatic sigh before removing herself from the bed and leaning against the railing that sealed in the 'second floor'. She laid her head down upon the white banister, narrowing her eyes down at the crowd below. "Because I _do_. I'm a growing woman and I need to act like one! So…I need a bra."

"Sweetheart, you're seven. You don't even have breasts yet," Albus argued back, taking his reefer jacket off and laying it casually over the back of a couch. He was nonchalant and careful. His own sister had the same dramatic flair to her and he'd learned how to deal with it through the years. "I don't know where you got this silly idea from, but you are too young to need such a thing. Now get dressed and come down here. We have a present for you." He ended with a smile, then turned away as if to say that was the end of it.

Jeanie gave an unnecessary sigh again, but turned away to, what sounded like, get dressed. Albus smiled winningly at his cousin and folded himself onto the dying, grey couch. "Did you let her see her mother again?" he asked softly, pulling his own daughter closer as she took the seat beside him.

Giving only a minimal shrug, Hugo walked over so he was standing in front of the two. "Yes. She…she wanted to see her for Christmas. Well…it was two months after Christmas, but still. She's _trying_. I mean…. I think she's trying. When she's not trying to steal moments with me…." He groaned, scrubbing a hand over his tired face. "She wants the luxury of a relationship, but she can't acknowledge that she needs to have a relationship with her daughter, as well. I just don't get it…."

"Okay, I'm going to tell you the same thing I told you when that bitch left you with your newborn infant all alone," Al said patiently, but his eyes held a touch of hardness. "You need to stop being kind to her. If she wants to see Jeanie, she wants to see her _alone_. You're not here for her personal gratification whenever she's bored. She gave that up seven years ago. And she doesn't seem to have a desire to get it back in the right way." He ran his fingers through his daughter's hair, silently thanking whatever deity was out there that he didn't have this type of complicated relationship. "You need to stop giving her chances. Especially since it seems that she's telling your daughter unfavorable things while you're not around." He raised a brow to accentuate his point, then shrugged to seal the end of his small speech.

"I don't really know if I need to be taking advice from…you." Hugo bit his lip, shaking his head slowly. He didn't elaborate, leaving his cousin feeling like he _must_ have missed something.

Clearing his throat, Albus sat up and leveled a calculating look at the other man. "Anta…go give your cousin her gift. And play upstairs. Hugo and I need to talk…." The girl nodded and detached herself from her father before doing as she was told. The instant she was gone, he leaned in closer to Hugo and lowered his voice. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

The tension in the air was thick. Hugo looked uncomfortable, but he made no move to get away. He wasn't going to dance around this. "Look…we both know you're not in exactly the most romantic marriage…."

"What are you talking about?" Al questioned with a derisive snort. "We love each other. That's all that matters in a good relationship. I'm…I'm nothing like you and Tiana." He almost felt insulted that he could be compared to such a thing.

"I'm not trying to start a fight, Albus!" Hugo said, louder now. He had to take a deep breath to calm himself down and in the meantime sat beside his cousin. Gently, he placed a hand upon his knee and gave him a small smile. "I'm just saying…. I don't want to have a relationship like yours. When I marry someone, I want it to be for passion and romance and love. You…you don't have any of that! You're not a husband, you're a _possession_. And why would I want to strive for something like that? Maybe it's good for you. Maybe you don't mind that the two of you don't share kisses in public or hold hands. Or that your daughter had to be born from _his_ genes. Maybe you like to be spoiled without reason or care. Maybe…." He noted the glare sliding into Al's emerald eyes and took a moment to rethink what it was he wanted to say, exactly. "Maybe you don't even see it.

"Okay, for instance, what day is it. Just tell me what day it is."

"Friday," Albus answered questioningly. He was feeling hurt somewhere deep down. It was like a pit was opening up inside of him. He didn't want to talk about this…. People didn't understand his marriage. But he had no idea how to explain it to them. He shouldn't _have_ to…. "Today is Friday. What does that have to do with anything?"

Chuckling, Hugo shook his head and squeezed the knee under his fingers. "No, no, Al. Not the day, exactly. The _date_." He raised a brow and Albus just continued to stare at him, perplexed. "The fourteenth of February. Today is the fourteenth of February. Valentine's Day, Al." He smiled dimly, trying to peer into his cousin's eyes to see if he was in any way getting his point across. "Do you have any plans for today? Do you think he'll surprise you with…something sweet and romantic?"

_Of course not…. That's not how we are._ Albus sighed, only the hint of upturn to the corners of his lips. This was all amusing, but only slightly. Mostly it was just irritating. He wanted to explain it! He wanted to tell his closest relative just how it _was_ with him and his husband. But…he didn't know how. He didn't know what to say that would still make him look relatively sane and intelligent.

"We do not have plans. We don't celebrate Valentine's Day. That doesn't make us an unmatched couple. That just means…we don't." He shrugged and looked upstairs, locking eyes with the small, blonde girl watching him through the bannister. "I would like to no longer talk about this. Any of this. Relationships, love, your ideals of romance. I'm happy with my husband. With my child that looks like the best mix of us I could ever ask for. Maybe she doesn't have my genes…but she is _my_ daughter. And I love her." He gave a genuine flash of teeth to his daughter and Antares returned the smile shyly before turning away to play again. "So…can we please drop this…and enjoy the rest of our morning and afternoon together?"

It _was_ Valentine's Day. And although it was true that Albus didn't celebrate the damnable holiday, he did have a slightly special dinner planned. Nothing fancy or candlelit, but it was his husband's favorite dish. And if he knew Anta had helped, that would make it all the more…nice.

"Something smells marvelous."

A grin – honest and genuine – spread over Albus' lips as he slowly turned from the stove to look at his husband. The man lit up the room with his stark blonde hair and ghostly pale skin. He was a luminescent angel that had every limb and bone and nerve inside of him _aching_. He had to mentally stop a keening noise from escaping his throat with a small clearing of it. "Does it?" he asked coyly, lifting a delicate eyebrow.

Scorpius Malfoy crossed over to his husband, those mercilessly long fingers gently gripping both of Al's upper arms while he leaned in to press a breathtakingly soft kiss to his yearning lips. "It does. Chicken stew?" He leaned over the other man to take a peek into the simmering pot. "What could I have done to earn that?"

"It's Valentine's Day. I thought I would be nice." Albus leaned up to try and steal another kiss from the taller man. But he was already pulling away with that signature smirk pasted onto his face. A small pang rang through his heart, but he pushed it away. He was always craving more affection and that was what kept Scorpius here, he was sure.

"Daddy I helped! Right, Dad? Tell him I helped!" Antares came running in from wherever it was she had been playing. She was all happy smiles and pride as she threw herself into her other father's arms. They were a perfect picture of beauty and grace together. They looked like more than money. They looked like…_old _money and blood status. It was enthralling and entrancing. Albus always felt so unmatched next to them.

Nodding, he turned back to the stove to hide his contented look. "Yes, she did. Anta peeled the carrots and potatoes. She has been a great help tonight."

"Does that mean she can have one of your chocolates before dinner?"

Startled, Al turned back towards his husband. He was holding a gorgeously wrapped box that looked as if it came from a high-class candy shop. "You…you bought me chocolates?" he asked, earnestly perplexed as he just _stared_ at the shiny, red box. "Why?" His voice was a whisper now, the beginnings of tears budding in his verdant eyes.

Scorpius merely rolled his eyes and opened the package, handing one of the sparkling truffles to the girl in his arms. "You said it yourself – it's Valentine's Day. Am I not supposed to get you gifts?" Anta took a happy bite out of the chocolate, her lips ending up speckled with the topping. The way her genetic father watched her eat this small treat like the happiest little girl in the world was absolutely touching. Beautiful.

Swallowing hard, Albus began to shake his head back and forth slowly. "No...we don't usually celebrate Valentine's Day. It's just a meaningless holiday. A day for those who never appreciate what they have to go to elaborate lengths to pretend they're still in love. I swear we've had this conversation many times." He ended with a weak upturn of his lips, trying to soften the harshness of his words. He didn't want to see ungrateful. He certainly wasn't. This gift was nice and much appreciated. It was just…confusing.

"I wanted to get you something small. A gift because I love you. I get you gifts all the time. Pretend this is just any other day." Scorpius took measured steps towards the smaller man, his muscled frame relaxed and gentle. This was a good sign. He set Antares down upon the floor and she scuttled off with the treat still held between her dainty fingers. "Don't you worry – I haven't begun to lose true interest in you." He wrapped those skeleton-like fingers around Al's shoulders, pulling him closer in almost a death grip. The look in his eyes was steely and determined, but he still came off as serene with a hint of a smile. "I could never…." He pressed his husband back against the stove, grinding their hips together harshly.

Albus could feel the heat from the pot on his back. He was close enough that if he were to lean back a mere inch more, he would burn himself. The rush of the danger pounded through his veins and he found himself shaking from excitement. "Just like any other day…," he whispered, submitting and keening under his husband's rough touch. The other man responded with a devilish grin as he pushed him closer to the heat. The pot bit at Al's back. His eyes flew open as he felt a fresh wound open up. But he didn't hiss or cry out in pain. Instead, he moaned softly, allowing his head to fall back in a type of ecstasy he could never expect anyone to understand.

Very gently, Scorpius pulled his lover off of the heat, his hand gently gliding along his back until he reached the wound. He felt the building bubble from the burn, whispering a cooling spell that seeped out from his fingertips into the wound. Albus relaxed into him, wrapping his arms around his neck in a desperate move to be closer. "I'm hungry," he whispered into Al's ear before disentangling himself and stepping back a bit. He loosened his tie, raising a brow as if he was waiting to be served.

"S-sure," Albus replied on nothing more than a stilted whisper. His breath was rough and he longed to follow his husband across the kitchen. To follow him anywhere and steal more painful kisses. He knew Hugo was wrong. Hugo didn't know what they had. Just because they didn't hold hands in public…didn't mean they weren't romantic. It didn't mean that they weren't in love. After nine years…they were more in love than ever. They always found more reasons to be in love every day.

No one would ever understand.

Swallowing hard to conceal his content smile, Albus turned back around and ladled out three bread bowls of stew. He set them on a tray and carried them out to their fancy, formal dining room. "Anta! Come eat!" he called towards the sitting room, setting the bowls out in front of each of their spots on one end of the long table. The girl came running in, climbing into her seat to the left of the head of the table. Scorpius, of course, took the head spot, his eyes never leaving his husband. "What would you like to drink, Anta? Milk?"

After his daughter nodded, Al left the room and headed back for the kitchen. He retrieved a small glass of milk, a bottle of wine, and two glasses. There was a faint smile on his lips as he came back to his family, taking the seat at his husband's right hand. "How was work?" he asked as he poured them both a healthy glass of the sweet red.

"It was just fine," Scorpius said softly, eating petite bites of his special dinner. If he weren't raised so prim and proper, he would be digging in like an animal, Albus was sure. "If you don't count my father regaling to me exactly how he was going to be ravaging my mother tonight. If there's one thing you don't want to hear about…it's your parents' sex life in detail…." The blonde shivered and shook his head, allowing his disgusted gaze to meet his husband's for just a moment.

With a roll of his eyes, Albus stared down into his stew. "Scor…. Your daughter is sitting right next to you. Please choose more child-friendly conversations."

"Daddy says sex is nothing to be ashamed of," Antares piped up, licking gravy residue off the back of her spoon with a wide grin. "I don't mind."

"Oh, is that what you've told her, Daddy?" Albus raised a brow at the other man, setting his spoon down to emphasize his slight frustration. "You've been telling our five-year-old daughter about the naturalities of sex?" He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

All Scorpius did was grin. He looked down at their daughter, then back up to Albus like he didn't even think he'd done anything wrong. "When she hears you screaming in the night…she's bound to have questions, Al. I figured it was better to tell her it was an act of love than to lie or blush and brush it off."

It was a valid point…. And it was either a really smart or very stupid parenting move. Albus just continued to stare at his husband for a long moment, his eyes narrowing more by the moment. He couldn't decide whether he should be proud or angry at this. Or ashamed. His daughter _had_ heard him scream out in passion, apparently. No matter how careful they were….

With a clear of his throat, Al leaned over the table to squeeze Antares' hand gently. He gave her a reassuring smile and spoke with absolute purpose. "Anta, sweetheart…. Daddy is right – sex is a beautiful thing that we should not be ashamed of. _However_, you are far too young to think on this very hard. Please…don't dwell on it. Okay? When you're older, we can talk more about all that it entails. But right now…I just want you to be my little girl." He smiled wide to end what he'd said on a carefree note, then leaned back in his care and picked his spoon back up.

"Okay," the small girl whispered back, her brow furrowed in thought. Albus didn't really want to know what exactly it was she was thinking about, so he just left her alone. He was already uncomfortable enough with this conversation.

It truly was just like any other night after that. They finished eating in silence with only the smallest of pleasantries exchanged. Afterwards Albus cleaned up the food and the kitchen before joining his family in the sitting room. He read aloud from a book, they talked about weekend shopping plans, and then it was time for Antares to go to bed.

And for Scorpius and Albus to retire to the basement.

Right after they kissed Anta goodnight, the couple retired to their secret place. The basement had a lock on it that could only be opened with a spell Albus had devised. He whispered the words in Parseltongue, sending a small smile over to his husband. They linked hands and Scorpius led them down the stairs, gripping Al's hand anxiously.

This was _just another day_.

They would do just what they did every other night. There was no difference and that…refreshing. Grinning, Albus followed without question, pulling the door closed behind them. As they stepped out onto the concrete floor, the lights flicked on around them – sensing their presence. It was dimly lit, allowing certain things to gleam and call out to them. The bed in the corner was dressed in black silk, four sets of handcuffs waiting to be used on all four posts of the frame. Between them and the bed was a whole slew of different toys. Along the wall was a colorful arrangement of whips, chains, gags, binds, plugs, dildos, clamps, and collars. The floor was a jumbled mess of ramps, wedges, a swing, and other erotic furniture. Everything in here was routine and normal to them, but that didn't make it any less exciting.

"Happy Valentine's Day…."

Albus looked up from a bloodstain on the floor and smiled wistfully at his husband. Scorpius was holding up a red gift bag with an address tag made out to Al. "What's this?" he asked with an almost-sigh. All of these surprises today….

"Just open it," Scorpius hissed, unbuttoning his shirt. Ready to get down to it.

Albus obeyed, slipping his hand into the small bag with a little bit of hesitancy. He frowned as his fingers met something…soft and furry. And then it transitioned into the familiar silicone material. He looked up at the blonde sneering at him as he pulled the item out, biting his lip as he looked it over. "Oh…wow…." In his hands was a normal butt plug, except for one thing – at the usually flat or round end was a furry fox-like tail that matched the red-tinged shade of his hair. "Oh, Daddy…. It's beautiful. Thank you." He was earnestly grinning when he looked back up at his husband, tip-toeing forward to beg for a kiss.

The blonde grabbed his husband around the waist roughly, pulling him close and crushing their mouths together. It wasn't needy or obligatory. This kiss was passion to its fullest. All the time spent away from one another during the day came crashing through them right there. Their bodies twined together as they fervently ripped one another's clothes off. It wasn't long before they were both completely naked. And somehow Scorpius had latched onto a bottle of lube. He had their new toy in his hands, slicking the black plastic to perfection. "Now…you really are my pet." With a grin, he reached twisted Albus around so that he was now facing away. He pushed him up against the toy wall, running his long, lean fingers of his left hand over the delicate tanned skin at his disposal. They massaged the toned buttocks as his right hand inched the plug closer. He ran it down Al's crack, slicking him up.

"Try not to scream," he whispered as Albus' breath hitched in anticipation. The brunette nodded obediently, resting his forehead against the wall as he waited. It felt like hours passed before he felt any progress here. Before Scorpius had his cheeks spreading open. Before he was not-so-gently gliding the plug inside of him without prep or warning. Albus had to physically bite down on his tongue. Only the smallest of mewls came out of his mouth. He was used to this sort of treatment so the sudden pain almost didn't bother him anymore. It centered more into pain these days than anything.

"Oh, Daddy, it fits perfectly…," Al whispered, shaking his hips a little and feeling the tail glide along the back of his legs. He wanted to see what it looked like. He wanted to _know_ just how fuckable he came off.

Albus could feel Scorpius' devilish grin as he ran his fingers over the tail. The small movement brought a small pleasured motion to his entrance and he wanted _so badly_ to lean back into him more. "You look too cut, Pet. I almost feel like you're too innocent now for me to fuck you…." The taller man leaned in, setting his teeth to his husband's neck with a dark moan. "_Almost…._" He chuckled low in his throat, the vibrations ringing against Al's back.

In a split second, there was a harsh snap that resounded through the air. Albus gasped in a breath of air, his eyes going wide as he shrank into the wall. The pain of the slap to his ass was startling. He hadn't been ready, but that didn't mean he was upset. The heat in his body only began to build and he soon wanted to moan. To show Scorpius how much he loved this side of him. But he had to play along as the quiet, submissive 'pet'.

"We'll use the bed tonight," Scorpius said in that dark, dominating voice he had that filled their sectioned off part of the basement. "Go get in it."

"Yes, Daddy." Albus pulled away from the wall, smiling just a little bit to himself. He lowered himself onto his hands and knees once he was a few steps away, slinking towards the bed like an animal. The cracks where the sections of concrete met scraped at the skin of his knees as he went. He didn't let the small cuts faze him, however. He just kept going, shaking his hips as he crawled to make beautiful tail swing back and forth. When he reached the bed, he slunk up into it and perched upon the mattress with his hands perched upon the edge.

A low growl came from Scorpius throat. He wasted no time in grabbing a ball gag and a key for the handcuffs before following his husband. He stopped directly in front of the smaller man, grabbing his chin viciously and pulling his head up closer for better access. "Look at my sexy, little minx. I don't even think I'm feeling foreplay tonight. I just want to fuck you…. Stick that cute, little tail in your mouth…." He looked down at the gag he was about to put between Albus' lips and seemed to think better of it. He threw it off to the side before moving his hand from the man's chin to his neck. "I just need you tonight," he said on a small whisper as he gripped the thin throat with his incredibly muscled fingers.

Albus tried to swallow or breathe or _something_, eyes rolling to the side to stare at the bed as a distraction. He was perfectly fine with Scorpius just taking him today. He didn't really have the energy for a wild romp. But he could definitely stand for a rough, relentless fucking. He followed the wordless instruction as his husband pushed against his chokehold, lying down upon the silk. The grip around his neck loosened slightly as Scorpius crawled over him on the bed, allowing Al to gasp for a breath in desperation before the pressure returned.

Just as he had promised, Scorpius reached down with his other hand to forcefully rip the plug out of Al's backside. The brunette tried to gasp for a startled breath, but just as the hand around his throat came away, the tail was swiftly in a position of protruding from his mouth. He ran his tongue over the soft silicone, pleasantly surprised at the tainted chocolate taste of the lubricant.

"Don't you dare spit that out, Pet," Scorpius warned, unlocking the handcuffs near their heads. He crossed Al's arms behind his head, securing them into the leather-bound metal rings. "I don't want to hear a word out of you until I'm ready to finish. Do you understand?"

Eyes wide and full of innocent, unintentional tears, Albus nodded and relaxed back into the mattress. In turn, Scorpius nodded as well and leaned down to steal a soft, loving kiss. "I love you," he whispered, breaking character just for the moment before sitting back up. As he straddled his husband, Scorpius shifted back into the dominating, handsome man he was.

Everything else was a painful, pleasure-filled blur. Scorpius kept true to his promise not to go into foreplay. But that only meant it lasted an hour instead of three. In the end, Albus ended up with a bruised neck, bleeding asshole, and a spunk-covered stomach. The plug was no longer in his mouth, as the other had ripped it out to hear him moan his name as he came. And came. And came.

Scorpius only had one orgasm. He had amazing stamina and drive, especially when he was distracted by the delicious noises Albus' pain brought. When he did finally finish, though, it was violent and messy. He filled his husband up as he jerked in and out, making almost no noise but for his rapid breathing. Al watched him in amazement, feeling complete and whole for yet another night.

This…. This was normal. Maybe not for most people, but for them it was. This wasn't just a Valentine's Day experimentation thing. This wasn't something they'd try once and forget about because it wasn't convenient. If they one day didn't have this…. Something would have to be wrong. And most people might not understand it, but they didn't care. They didn't have to tell anyone! They could stand the way people talked about their seemingly passionate marriage. But, in the end, they had no idea what they were talking about.

And that was all that mattered.

"Are you upset with me?"

Scorpius' voice sounded almost broken. He didn't speak with his normal confidence. Albus looked up at him, wiping sweat off his brow, frowning in concern. "Why would I have any reason to be upset with you?" he whispered back, scooting over to the left side of the bed to make room for his husband to lie down beside him.

Now that he was spent, the blonde man didn't even take a moment to hesitate. He sighed happily and laid down, pulling his lover close, their sticky, sweaty chests pressed up against one another. "We don't celebrate Valentine's Day…," was all he said for explanation.

Albus was still rather confused. He knew this. That was why he never did anything for it. Nine years later…they were still holding to that tradition pretty firmly. Or they had been…. "What? Because you bought me a couple of gifts? So what? I made you your favorite dinner." He shrugged feebly and wrapped his arms around the man in return. Squeezing him to try and reassure him that they were still okay. More than okay. They were perfect.

"I just felt like…you needed something today. You're wonderful, Albus. You're more than my adorable, submissive pet. You're also my adoring, beautiful house-husband." Scorpius rested his head back, nuzzling close their foreheads close together and pressing the most chaste of kisses to his husband's nose. "I love you and I just wanted you to see that for a moment. Not that you usually don't…because you do, I'm pretty sure…."

Noticing the struggle for words, Albus swooped in for the rescue. He giggled softly under his breath and lightly squeezed his side. "I do see that. I love you more than life…and I'm fully confident that you feel the same back to me. I feel it every time you kiss me, tough me, _look at me_. But I also appreciate those small gifts. Thank you." He smiled happily and leaned up a little to look at where their new toy had landed in their frenzy. "Did I look cute with that thing? I felt like I looked…just so cute."

Scorpius bobbed his head up and down, eyes closing in absolute exhaustion echoed by a yawn. "I think it's my new favorite. We'll be playing with it a lot, I think." He gave a tired smile back to his husband before gesturing upstairs. "Time for bed?"

"I think so. Anta and I had quite a long day…. I love Hugo, but sometimes…." He let out a frustrated breath through his nose and sat up.

"I'm sorry," the blonde said, but it was obvious he didn't quite mean it. They both knew what he thought about certain members of the Potter/Weasley family. They didn't need to rehash that tonight. It wasn't good bedtime conversation.

Just as they had entered the basement, Scorpius ended up leading them out. They clasped hands, always closer than ever after their nightly romps. They headed for bed after locking back up their special room. Their love dungeon. Their place to steal away when the world got rough. After a quick shower, they were in their bedroom upstairs and sleeping in no time. They fell fast asleep with their arms wrapped around one another and small smiles in the corners of their lips.

Normal was a world the couple used loosely. They weren't conventional, by any means. To them that wasn't what normal meant, though. Normal meant being in love and having a marriage that thrived more than it suffered. It meant working through problems and showering your spouse in love. This…what they had was normal, to them. It was perfect for them and it was all they would need for the rest of their life together.

If Albus and Scorpius Malfoy could make it through the shame from both families of being together…. If they could make it through the crushing heartbreak of Albus' unforeseen infertility…. If they could make it through searching for a woman to basically use for her womb…. If they could make it through Antares' rough, almost deathly birth…. If they could make it through Scorpius needing to work with his father because his name had such a stigma attached and they didn't want to live off of ancient Malfoy money…. If they could make it through everyday misunderstanding about the nature of their relationship….

They could make it through anything. And they could be normal.

They _would_ be normal. And they would be okay.


End file.
